Posted 2009-12-13 5:04 PM (#114207) Subject: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Veteran
Posts: 140 Location: Ft. Lawn, South Carolina
I am looking into converting my F-350 dually (Ford) into a flat bed. Has anyone done this? Is there a particular brand tht is best? What are the pros and cons? I pull a Bison 3-H LQ and an Adams 2 H GN. Several folks I met camping had flat beds and really like them. What kind of cost can I expect ? Any advice is appreciated!
Posted 2009-12-13 10:00 PM (#114220 - in reply to #114207) Subject: RE: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by galsgottaride on 2009-12-13 5:04 PM
I am looking into converting my F-350 dually (Ford) into a flat bed. Has anyone done this? Is there a particular brand tht is best? What are the pros and cons? I pull a Bison 3-H LQ and an Adams 2 H GN. Several folks I met camping had flat beds and really like them. What kind of cost can I expect ? Any advice is appreciated!
There is many different brands out right now. Mine is a CM SK body which is a skirted body with toolboxes made into the side of the bed. I really like the CM's because they powder coat their beds.
Pros: easy to hook up your trailer (no trying to jump in the bed), when parking always back in the spot and when the stupid person next to you opens their car door it will hit you bed instead of the door of you truck. no damage to your truck).
A big pro for me: my bed is 9'4" long and I can haul 4 round bales on it!
con: have to be carefull on what you haul on the bed must tie down most items.
If you have a trailer with NO electric or power jack, pay the few extra bucks for the gooseneck trough. This is so you will not have to raise the trailer as high to hook up.
The cost of mine was 4000.00 but well worth it. It has 4 large toolboxes, gooseneck trough, lighted headache rack, small side rails, reciever hitch, LED lights and POWDER COATED paint!
I have bought regular flatbeds from J&I out of OK and they are good beds but not powder coated and not as fancy but they are stout. I have one on another truck and it cost me around 1500.00 installed with gooseneck ball and brake hook up.
I did forget to add the the standard dual rear wheel truck is wider than a C/C model truck like mine so when you buy a bed make sure you tell them you have a regular dually or they will just install whatever bed they have handy and the rear tires of the truck may stick out a little.
Posted 2009-12-14 10:39 AM (#114244 - in reply to #114207) Subject: RE: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Regular
Posts: 83
I've had several flatbeds, used mainly as all purpose work trucks. Mine were all factory cab and chassis trucks. I'm told the cab and chassis have the wheels closer together. If you have a truck that came with a factory bed on, the wheels stick out further. No big deal, just make sure the bed is wide enough. I only had one aluminum bed, and didn't like it at all. It looked nice and didn't rust, but was not nearly as strong as a steel bed. It would dent and bend much easier. But like I say, I used mine pretty hard. I had on steel flatbed with a pop-up ball for the gooseneck. It mounted flush, and then popped up above the flat bed. This did not work well at all! The gooseneck has to sit up way too high on the bed. Make sure the gooseneck ball in countersunk below the bed's height. I ruined a back set of tires on my trailer in 500 miles because the ball set too high, my horse trailer would not adjust low enough, and all the weight went on the back axle of the trailer. Do your research on which bed will work the best for your truck, and your trailer. This has just been MY experience with flatbeds to date.
Posted 2009-12-14 10:59 AM (#114246 - in reply to #114207) Subject: RE: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399 Location: Ottawa, Illinois 61350
I just had a J&I installed on my 97 Dodge 1 ton "farm truck". My wife uses this truck for pulling our LQ trailer; and we can get quite a few square bales on the bed ahead of the GN. The bed cost $1100 (leftover "new" bed); and installation and light hook up was another $650. I sprayed the entire top surface of the bed with bedliner material to keep rust away longer. I hope to get my take-off box sold for several hundred, to cheapen the cost.
I like the flatbed for making the bed area more useable than a pickup box. As long as you have ratchet straps for securing loads; there is really no downside to them.
Posted 2009-12-14 11:51 AM (#114248 - in reply to #114207) Subject: RE: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402 Location: Valentine, NE
Be sure to talk to your insurance company. Our insurance was around $250 cheaper on a pickup with a flat bed verses a box. I guess it is due to the fact that the flat bed is more dent resistant.
Also, you will lose some payload due to the added weight of a steel flat bed verses the box. We are on our 3rd flatbed and won't go back to a box. With today's higher box heights, and lower gooseneck heights allowing more LQ bunk room, it only makes sense.
Posted 2009-12-14 12:25 PM (#114249 - in reply to #114248) Subject: RE: Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by Spin Doctor on 2009-12-14 11:51 AM
Be sure to talk to your insurance company. Our insurance was around $250 cheaper on a pickup with a flat bed verses a box.
WOW, I have never heard this before and we have had MANY trucks over the last 10 years with and without flatbeds and the only time my insurance changed was when I bought a cab n chassis truck, I had to buy a commercial policy.
Converting F-350 Dually to flat bed
